Date: 08/17/2023
State: CA
Issues: Climate, Mining, Wild Lands
Partners: Conservation Lands Foundation, Friends of the Inyo, Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe
Airport Origin : Lone Pine, CA
Mission
Worth more than gold, this pristine roadless area lies between Death Valley National Park, Malpais Wilderness Area, Cerro Gordo Wilderness Study Area, and Owens Lake. Conglomerate Mesa is rugged country, brimming with rich desert life and cultural history. The area is part of the traditional homeland of the Timbisha-Shoshone and the Paiute-Shoshone people. Despite the many values of Conglomerate Mesa, it is threatened by an open pit cyanide gold mine.
Candadian K2 Gold's proposal includes plans to drill 120 exploratory boreholes and build miles of roads. The project could impact up to 15 acres of pristine, sacred lands. This would not only destroy valuable habitat for native plants and wildlife, but it would permanently scar a roadless desert landscape.
We flew in support of the advocacy and efforts to protect Conglomerate Mesa from the threats of gold mining and discuss ways to protect this important landscape and the people, plants, and wildlife it supports.
